Catholic Education Daily Articles

Wyoming Catholic College

Wyoming Catholic College

Catholic Colleges Must Listen to Pope Benedict’s Strong Case for Sacred Music, Says Prof.7/21/2015The availability of well-celebrated liturgy and sacred music should be the norm at all Catholic colleges, not the exception, said Dr. Kurt Poterack, choir director and adjunct professor of music at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va. Poterack spoke with The Cardinal Newman Society regarding Pope Emeritus Benedict’s recent comments on sacred music and what it means for Catholic colleges.

The Pope Emeritus recently received honorary doctorates from the John Paul II Pontifical University of Krakow and from the Academy of Music of Krakow in Poland. The former pontiff took the opportunity to thank the now-saint Pope John Paul II for the profound impact he had in his own spiritual life and also share his own reflections on the benefits of sacred music.

The emphasis on sacred music is certainly something that Catholic colleges should be paying attention to, as it helps students to encounter the living God in liturgy, Poterack stated.Catholic Education ‘Going to Win’ HHS Mandate Suits, Predicts Becket Fund Attorney7/8/2015All the evidence suggests that Catholic schools and colleges are going to win their challenges to the Obama administration’s “HHS mandate,” attorney Mark Rienzi of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty told The Cardinal Newman Society.

In a summary of lawsuits compiled by the Newman Society with information from the Becket Fund, at least 22 Catholic schools and 11 Catholic colleges have challenged the mandate in federal courts. Two of the schools— Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, Neb., and Rhodora J. Donahue Academy in Ave Maria, Fla.—are on the Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll of faithful Catholic high schools.

Eight of the colleges are recommended in the Newman Guide, including Aquinas College in Nashville, Tenn.; Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla.; Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C.; The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio; Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Cal.; University of Dallas, Tex.; and Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo.

Winning permanent injunctions against enforcement of the HHS mandate is critical to the protection of Catholic schools and colleges and their ability to faithfully live out their Catholic identity and mission, attested Rienzi, who is also an assistant professor at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Under the current form of the HHS mandate, most Catholic institutions would be forced to facilitate employee access to full insurance coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including some that cause abortion. If schools and colleges are not granted relief from the HHS mandate, they will be subjected to severe fines for not participating.Status of Catholic Education Challenges to HHS Mandate7/8/2015As of July 2015, at least 33 Catholic institutions have filed suits challenging the Obama administration’s “HHS mandate,” requiring employer coverage of sterilization and contraceptives (including some that cause abortion) in employee health plans.

In a summary of lawsuits compiled by the Newman Society with information from the Becket Fund, at least 22 Catholic schools and 11 Catholic colleges have challenged the mandate in federal courts. Two of the schools— Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, Neb., and Rhodora J. Donahue Academy in Ave Maria, Fla.—are on the Newman Society’s Catholic Education Honor Roll of faithful Catholic high schools.

Eight of the colleges are recommended in the Newman Guide, including Aquinas College in Nashville, Tenn.; Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla.; Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C.; The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio; Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Cal.; University of Dallas, Tex.; and Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo.Univ. of San Francisco Celebrates SCOTUS Marriage Ruling, Despite Catholic Mission7/2/2015While the U.S. bishops responded to last week’s marriage ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court by upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church, one Jesuit university chose to publicly celebrate the decision in direct conflict with its Catholic identity and mission.

Over the weekend, the University of San Francisco (USF), a Jesuit Catholic university, used its Twitter and Facebook accounts to celebrate the San Francisco Pride Parade and the recent 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.

“I proudly attend a university that supports the LGBTQ community #Pride #USFCA #SF @usfca,” read a tweet from the University. Another retweet featured the USF mascot at the San Francisco Pride Parade, surrounded by several University students.Q&A: Peter Kwasniewski on Sacraments, Curriculum and Moral Formation at Catholic Colleges6/9/2015Faithful Catholic colleges have the responsibility and obligation to care for the spiritual and moral well-being of their students, not just their academic well-being, says Dr. Peter Kwasniewksi, professor of theology and philosophy at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., and one of the recent panelists during a Cardinal Newman Society panel discussion at Sacra Liturgia USA 2015 in New York City.

During last Tuesday’s session, Dr. Kwasniewski was one of the featured panelists, together with Cardinal Raymond Burke, who discussed why liturgy is essential for today’s college Catholics.

The Newman Society caught up with Dr. Kwasniewski following the conference to ask several follow-up questions on the importance of liturgy, sacraments, curriculum and student life issues at Catholic colleges.Newman Society Panelists Agree, Liturgy Essential to Today’s College Catholics6/5/2015Catholic colleges must provide opportunities for students to experience the beautiful and well-celebrated liturgy that they are drawn to, according to a panel of academics at this week’s Sacra Liturgia conference in New York City.

Tuesday’s panel on liturgical renewal in Catholic higher education was hosted by The Cardinal Newman Society and headlined by Cardinal Raymond Burke, patron of the Order of Malta and ecclesiastical advisor to the Newman Society. He was joined by four guest panelists who echoed the Cardinal’s urging for Catholic colleges to expose students to the beauty of properly celebrated liturgy.

The conference brought together over 300 bishops, priests, religious, seminarians, educators, college professors and other lay leaders, and the overarching sentiment was the same: young people desire beauty and truth, and the Church—including Catholic colleges—must not fail provide them with that encounter this time around. The conference was notably populated with many young faces, youth who were brought up through the ranks of faithful Catholic education.Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Cordileone Headline Newman Society Events at ‘Sacra Liturgia USA’6/1/2015

Today Sacra Liturgia USA 2015, a sequel to a successful Rome conference on the renewal of sacred liturgy, comes to New York City. The conference includes special sessions with Cardinal Raymond Burke of the Knights of Malta and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, who will discuss the importance of sacred liturgy to Catholic education and its influence on the renewal of liturgy throughout the Church.

The luncheons on Tuesday with Cardinal Burke and Wednesday with Archbishop Cordileone are sponsored by The Cardinal Newman Society, which is also a co-sponsor of the conference.

“There is an exciting and much-needed renewal of sacred liturgy in the Church today, and a growing number of faithful Catholic schools and colleges have a key role in it,” said Patrick Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society. “Not only can Catholic education teach students appreciation for reverence and the grace received from the Sacraments, but it can prepare graduates to lead the renewal of liturgy in their parishes and dioceses.”

Sound theology is the heart of Catholic higher education; it helps students direct their learning, explore the beauty of the faith and better understand their relationship with God and the Church. Therefore the Church provides the academic mandatum, an acknowledgment by the local bishop of a “professor’s commitment and responsibility to teach authentic Catholic doctrine and to refrain from putting forth as Catholic teaching anything contrary to the Church’s magisterium,” according to the U.S. bishops’ guidelines.

Referencing Ex corde Ecclesiae, the Vatican’s constitution on Catholic universities, Bishop Dewane noted that professors who have obtained the mandatum help Catholic colleges fulfill their mission. “It says that Catholicism is present and operative at such institutions. More profoundly, the individual professor evidences that desire to teach in communion, to express what the teachings of the Church are,” he said.Newman Society Pres: Catholic Education Becoming 'Battleground' for Religious Freedom4/30/2015Catholic education has swiftly become a “battleground” for religious freedom as the federal government relentlessly pushes for the redefinition of marriage, Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly wrote in a recent Crisis Magazine piece.

Colleges and schools that are maintaining Catholic values and Church teaching are most at risk, Reilly noted. On Tuesday, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, Jr., confirmed during an oral argument before the Supreme Court that “religious colleges could lose their tax exemption and suffer other penalties if the Court redefines marriage.”

Reilly reported that Verrilli was asked by Chief Justice John Roberts how a federal redefinition of marriage wouldn’t present an enormous problem to religious schools. Verrilli admitted that there were “issues” posed by federally banning sexual orientation discrimination, not least of which included the possibility that a religious college could lose its nonprofit tax exemption for refusing to accommodate same-sex marriage.Wyoming College’s Decision to Forego Federal Aid Protects Catholic Identity4/17/2015

Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., recently became the latest among a small number of American colleges choosing not to participate in the federal student aid program in order to protect their mission from government intrusion.

Christendom College in Front Royal, Va., also does not participate in the federal aid program. Both colleges are recommended in The Newman Guide for their strong Catholic identity.

CNSNews.com interviewed Cardinal Newman Society President Patrick Reilly on this development, and he identified some of the threats from the federal government that persuaded Wyoming Catholic to reject the government aid. Although Reilly noted that many Catholic colleges accept federal student aid without compromising their Catholic identity, he agreed with Wyoming Catholic’s apprehension about the future.

Catholic Colleges Enjoy Advantages in Single-Sex Housing, Private Bedrooms4/7/2015It is rare today to find even a Catholic college with male-only and female-only dormitories and policies enforcing the privacy of student bedrooms. But officials from such colleges say that they enjoy distinct advantages by encouraging chastity, sobriety, and genuine friendships among their students.

The Cardinal Newman Society recently spoke with officials responsible for student life at Christendom College in Front Royal, Va.; Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif.; and Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wyo., about how single-sex residence halls and visitation policies create a healthy, moral environment for a student’s formative years in college.

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